Final Masquerade
is the eleventh and penultimate track from Linkin Park's sixth studio album, The Hunting Party. It was scheduled to be released on June 17, 2014 through Warner Bros. and Machine Shop. It is produced by Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, and co-produced by Emile Haynie. It is the band's third single, with the single cover unveiled on June 3, 2014, which has been confirmed on Spotify. The song was leaked early online via digital download on June 7, 2014. The band premiered the song through MTV on June 8, 2014. An acoustic version of the song was released on February 19, 2015. Releases * Final Masquerade * The Hunting Party * Linkin Park Junior Underground Presents: The Carnivore (Aviators Remix) Composition This is a great hook driven song, and it is also easy to catch on and be singing by the end. This is the other song that sounds like it could be radio friendly. It is a reminder of a classic rock hook made into modern rock. Not as slow as "Until It's Gone", but not as aggressive as the others. A hardcore Linkin Park fan ranks it medium on the Visceral scale. The song segues into their twelfth and final track from the album, "A Line in the Sand". It’s a sharp, edgy, lushly harmonic heavy-hitter that falls perfectly in line with Linkin Park’s lengthy string of hulking, hooky hits. The song’s radio-ready single status might have been a combined act of Internet trolling and serendipity, as Mike Shinoda explained: “I made some ‘alternative pop’ demos that sounded like they would fit in with what radio is currently playing. But then I came across a blog piece entitled ‘Rock Sucks Right Now And It’s Really Depressing,‘” he said. “It got me thinking. I ended up writing a response to it, and realized that what I had been working on wasn't really what I wanted to be making.” While “Final Masquerade” lands loud and hard next to its feel-good brethren peppering the pop-rock landscape with cheery optimism, there’s no denying this is a massive potential hit — and the kind of deeper, darker dirge missing in popular music right now. Chester Bennington sings over guitars that escalate like an descent into a dismal and finite unknown. The song feels perfectly suited for the soundtrack to a sci-fi epic, which makes sense, coincidentally, considering that Linkin Park will be headlining the MTVU Fandom Awards and MTV Fan Fest at San Diego’s Comic-Con on July 24, 2014 where its sense of scope and otherworldly striving will fit right in. Background Easily single material, "Final Masquerade" may be the only legitimate "soft" song on the record, but it serves as one of the album's biggest highlights. Linkin Park have always had a penchant for writing excellent and uplifting rock ballads, and this track is of no exception. A great display of Chester Bennington's vocal range, you really get the feeling that Chester is believing what he's singing here as he croons. Akin to a 1980's rock ballad, Chester's verses are complimented by wonderful airy keyboard synths that make this track feel like a beautiful mix of both the past and present of rock music. The track builds slowly to a great instrumental part, giving way to a vocal breakdown of the song's chorus, elevating the track to a stadium anthem as Chester sings the song's chorus one last time over the "whoa oh ohs" that was sung beautifully by his Linkin Park bandmates. Music Video An official music video was released on July 29, 2014 for premiere on MTV, directed by Mark Pellington. A lyric video of the song was released, as the song debuted on June 9, 2014 through Linkin Park's official Facebook page and on their website, posting that The Hunting Party can now be heard on iTunes fully, just before its album release on June 17. Reception In the track-by-track review by Billboard, the song is given a positive response and explained as, "Synths and palm-muted guitars carry the mid-tempo verses into a head-nodding hard rock chorus. With that, another love affair ends in epic fashion, and there's even a big stadium sing-along." Track Listing ;Digital download Lyrics Tearing me apart with words you wouldn't say And suddenly tomorrow's a moment washed away 'Cause I don't have a reason, and you don't have the time But we both keep on waiting for something we won't find The light on the horizon was brighter yesterday With shadows floating over, the scars begin to fade We said it was forever, but then it slipped away Standing at the end of the final masquerade The final masquerade All I ever wanted, the secrets that you keep All you ever wanted, the truth I couldn't speak 'Cause I can't see forgiveness, and you can't see the crime And we both keep on waiting for what we left behind The light on the horizon was brighter yesterday With shadows floating over, the scars begin to fade We said it was forever, but then it slipped away Standing at the end of the final masquerade The final masquerade The final masquerade Standing at the end of the final masquerade The light on the horizon was brighter yesterday With shadows floating over, the scars begin to fade We said it was forever, but then it slipped away Standing at the end of the final masquerade Standing at the end of the final masquerade Standing at the end of the final masquerade The final masquerade Personnel * Chester Bennington - lead vocals * Rob Bourdon - drums, percussion * Brad Delson - lead guitars * Dave Farrell - bass guitars * Joe Hahn - turntables, sampling * Mike Shinoda - rhythm guitars, backing vocals Category:Linkin Park Singles Category:Linkin Park Songs